Images - The Films and Career of Hal Ashby

<BODY bgcolor="#CCCCCC"> <font size="4"><p>The Director That Time Forgot</font> <font size="3"><br>The Films and Career of Hal Ashby</font> <font size="2"><br>by James A. Davidson <p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica" color="#000000"><img src="h.gif" width=28 height=32 border=0 align="left">al Ashby was one of the most prolific and successful filmmakers of the 1970s, producing a string of hits beginning with the cult success <i>Harold and Maude </i>(1971) and lasting through <i>Being There </i>(1979). Despite this, Ashby is little remembered today and, when he is mentioned in critical anthologies, it is usually in condescending or sometimes even disparaging terms. David Thomson, for instance, in <i>A Biographical Dictionary of Film</i> calls Ashby "a sad casualty who depended on strong collaborators." In addition, Ashby did not direct his first film until the age of 40, so the body of his work as a director is relatively small. But the films that he made show a remarkable visual sense of black humor and irony, a consistency of theme and characterization, and an innovative use of music and editing. <p><a href="halashby-nf.htm">Go to article</a></font> </body>